It’s pretty common for individuals to make sure their cars are prepared for emergencies and breakdowns, but what about fleet vehicles? Besides providing assistance to your drivers, well-maintained and equipped vehicles can strengthen your workplace safety culture, which doesn’t just ensure employee safety, but also improves retention rates. Turnover rates for drivers are high, especially for logistics companies, but addressing health and safety concerns has a proven impact on worker satisfaction. If your company utilizes work vehicles, make sure they’re equipped with these vital safety items, as well as check their stock and usability during routine maintenance.

1.  First Aid Kit: Important for any vehicle, a first aid kit is crucial for a work vehicle. A first aid kit should contain all the essentials for emergencies on the road, such as bandages, antiseptics, dressing pads, tape, and scissors. Some fleets may also consider a portable AED (defibrillator).

2.  Fire Extinguisher: An OSHA requirement for commercial trucks, buses, and tractors, fire extinguishers might make the difference in saving a vehicle or even your life. Regular inspections should be carried out to ensure they’re in working condition.

3.  Spare Tire & Repair Kit: Did you know that tire issues make up over 50% of roadside breakdowns? For severe punctures and blowouts, a spare tire and portable jack are great for any vehicle. An air compressor for refilling tires is also handy, as is a tire gauge, even for vehicles that also have a tire pressure monitoring system.

4.  Emergency Triangles and Kits: These are essential to perform a safe emergency stop on a highway or shoulder. Three reflective red warning triangles placed in the right locations, at the proper distance from a stopped vehicle, will let other drivers know to use caution and proceed carefully.

Emergency triangles are typically available in comprehensive highway safety emergency kits, which may include other safety items such as reflectors, roadside flares, and fire extinguishers.

5.  Hi-Vis Clothing: Drivers exiting the vehicle after a breakdown or accident are at high risk from passing cars. A hi-vis jacket or vest makes drivers more visible to other motorists, especially during inclement weather or low-light conditions.

6.  Winter Weather Supplies: Temperatures can plunge quickly in winter and storms can hit unexpectedly. The right cold-weather items can keep you warm or help you dig your car out if you get stuck in the snow.

• Thermal blanket
• Winter clothes: a good jacket, hat, and gloves
• Hand warmers
• Snow shovel or broom
• Snow brush or scraper
• Traction mats or kitty litter for tire traction

7.  The Basics: Don’t neglect the obvious! A breakdown potentially means a long wait for a tow truck or other help, so anything that lessens the inconvenience or makes it more comfortable is useful. Non-perishable food and a case of water are always useful to have, but especially in long-distance occupations like over-the-road trucking. A spare phone charger and vehicle adapter or an external power bank is handy to ensure that a driver can contact help.